A homeless man accused of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old boy at the public library in downtown Texarkana has been indicted by a Bowie County grand jury.
Library employees became concerned June 26 when they noticed a homeless man twice take an 11-year-old boy with him to the men’s bathroom. A male employee entered the bathroom and shouted after seeing two sets of feet in a locked stall with their pants pulled down.
Texarkana, Texas, police officers who responded to a call from library personnel learned determined the homeless man to be Javier Perez, 26, of Terrell, Texas. The boy had already left the library with a parent before library staff or police could speak with him.
Police contacted the boy’s father who returned to the library at their request. The boy was later taken to the Children’s Advocacy Center in Texarkana to meet with a forensic interviewer. The boy allegedly told the interviewer that Perez sat down at his table and showed him pictures of a naked woman removing her clothes before leading him to the bathroom.
The boy said he said, “No,” when Perez asked him to pull his pants down. The boy said Perez pulled both of their pants down and touched the boy inappropriately before sexually assaulting him in the stall.
Perez was indicted Thursday for aggravated sexual assault of a child. If found guilty, Perez faces five to 99 years or life in prison. He is currently being held in the Bowie County jail. Bail is set at $100,000. The case is assigned to 202nd District Judge John Tidwell.
